Decayed Childhood
by solitaryloner
Summary: Len Kagamine has an adopted sister. She's strange, quiet, and with a past that no one can fully understand or know about. Len wonders what happened to her in the past, and if he could possibly help her in any way...because for some strange, unknown reason, he is the only person she is willing to talk to. Rated M for dark adult themes, but no lemons. LenXMiku.
1. Chapter 1

Len Kagamine shot his adopted sister a glance. She was huddled up next to him, on his bed, and her blank gaze was fixed on nothing in particular. He sighed - he had no idea how to get to her, how to make her talk.

She rarely talked to anyone, even to him, and he was the person who spent the most time with her, in their whole family. Him, his twin sister Rin Kagamine, and their parents. His adopted sister was the same age as him and Rin - the three of them were all sixteen years old.

''How are you feeling today?'' he asked softly. The girl glanced up at him, her unnaturally long teal hair pooling around her on the bedspread. She made no other response, and he sighed, reaching out to pat her on the shoulder.

She flinched away from his touch, and he hesitated. Slowly, he withdrew his fingers, and she returned her gaze to her knees, which she had drawn up to her chin. Surprisingly, she edged a little closer to him, her green eyes as haunted looking as ever.

''Miku?'' Len called her name, hoping for some kind of response. She stiffened, then looked up at him, her eyes wide. She gaze the impression of a startled deer, caught in the headlights of a car. A deer too stunned to avoid being hit.

''Len.'' She mumbled, her fingers drumming agitatedly on her kneecaps. He blinked - she had responded to her name. A little flutter of hope went through him - perhaps it would be possible for him to reach to her, to draw her out of her shell? He could only hope.

His family had adopted her four years ago, when she was twelve. She had been in an orphanage. Their parents had asked him and Rin who they most wanted to have as a sibling. Rin and Len had long been pestering their parents for a sibling, but their parents hadn't intended to have any more children.

So they had went to the orphanage to see if they could adopt a child. Len had instantly taken an interest in Miku. It had been the first time he had seen teal hair, and he wanted to know her, to see if that hair was real. Rin had been fine with anything, so their parents had decided to adopt Miku Hatsune to be part of their family.

When they had told the matron at the orphanage about their decision, though, the matron had looked fairly uneasy. She had then told them about the girl, who had been huddled up in a corner of the room, staring blankly into nothing - she was not like normal children. It wasn't just the fact that she had no parents...she herself was different. She didn't talk, didn't respond to anything. All she ever did was sit in a corner and stare off into space.

The circumstances under which she had been sent to the orphanage were dire - apparently, as a child she had witnessed the death of her own father. Her father had been brutally murdered, his head sliced messily away from his body. Miku had been eight when that had happened - she had been found playing with her father's head, as though it was a soccer ball.

When she had been found by police officers, her father had already been dead for a week. In fact, the police had only went to her home because her neighbours had reported a bad smell coming from her house. And then, the police had found the man's decomposing body, his daughter bouncing his severed head.

Miku Hatsune had been covered in blood from lying next to her father's dead body. No one knew how she had managed to survive a whole week without food, but she had - though she had been found weak and starving. She had been too young to leave and seek help.

After Len and his family had heard about her past, they had all turned to stare at the teal haired girl. She had still been huddled up in a little corner of the room, and she had made no reaction to hearing about her dark past.

Even now, the police still had no idea who the murderer of Miku Hatsune's father was. The only thing they knew was her mother had long died, and that the child's name was Miku Hatsune, as they had found a birth certificate in a nearby drawer in her home. The child herself was a psychological puzzle - she appeared to be unaffected by the idea of her father's death, and she didn't care about anything.

They had studied her after rescuing her from that dire scene, and child psychologists had deemed her mentally unstable. She refused to play with toys, but she had gladly played when they brought out human skulls.

And...she was supposed to be too young to know about sex, to know about all these adult topics. But she had known what that was. The child psychologists didn't know what kind of environment she had grown up in, but it definitely wasn't suitable for an impressionable child - her thinking was warped and dark.

Len had to wonder whether he had made the right decision, insisting on adopting Miku anyway. True to the matron's words, Miku was an...abnormal child. And even now, at the age of sixteen, she was different from others. She didn't seem to respond much when people talked to her, preferring to lock herself away and keep away from other human contact.

''How are you feeling today?'' Len now tried asking. Out of everyone in the family, the petite tealette appeared to like him the best, trailing after him all over the house and hiding behind doors, peeking shyly out at him, whenever he turned around to look. Despite how much she followed him, though, she didn't talk to him.

Len thought that Miku never talked to anyone. He had heard her speak before, but those times were rare. Her voice was soft and high pitched, and it made her seem even more...doll like than she already was. She was like a broken wind-up doll, going through every day of her life as though she had no goal. No purpose.

Sometimes, he did hear her having a conversation, in her room. His spirits would lift, hoping that perhaps she was talking to Rin - but whenever he looked inside her room, his hope would deflate, like an old balloon. Just like the balloon that Miku would be talking to.

She talked to the dolls on her bed and the balloons tied to her dresser doors. Miku seemed to have a strange obsession with balloons, and she blew up new balloons every day. Len had never once seen her room without a balloon somewhere, floating in the air...as though it was mocking him. Mocking his efforts to communicate with Miku.

After meeting Miku, he had gradually grown to hate balloons. He still did - he couldn't stand the sight of those red helium balloons, the ones that Miku had up in her room...he couldn't stand the thought that Miku preferred to talk to inanimate objects rather than to anyone else in their family. Even him, the one who tried the hardest to reach out to her. Hoping she would take his hand, that she would reach out too.

The conversations he heard her having were always disturbing, to say the least. It made him wonder what kind of childhood she really had - what kind of childhood she had before her father had been murdered. Hearing her talk so casually about death and violence made him wonder...what had the police been unable to find out about this child? Why had she turned out like this...and why did she like balloons so much? It was like she worshipped them.

Len was tired of trying to communicate with her, but he didn't give up because he wanted her to be normal. He and the rest of his family wouldn't be around to shelter Miku from the world forever, and she would have to leave one day. For her to survive in this world, where people conspired and hid hatred behind fake smiles, she had to know how to fit in.

''I'm scared,'' she whispered, startling him. She had spoken of her own accord, and that rarely ever happened with him, since Len wasn't one of her precious balloons. He stared at her.

''Why are you scared?'' he asked quietly, hoping she wouldn't clam up and ignore him once again, as was her usual habit. She shook her head sharply, the violent movement surprising him, and then her eyes closed wearily.

She leant her head against his arm, and he could feel her silky teal hair brush against his bare skin. He swallowed, wondering whether he should move away. This was new. Usually, Miku tried her best to keep as far away from him as possible, when he tried to talk to her like this. He decided to not move.

''I don't know,'' she mumbled under her breath, in a sing-song kind of way. Len stared down at her as she nuzzled against his arm, her large green eyes still closed. Slowly, he reached out, letting his hand pat her head awkwardly. Inwardly, he sighed. It was the same answer to the same question, as it always was.

She didn't flinch away this time, after he touched her, and he had to wonder if she had fallen asleep. She usually reacted in some way, if he touched her. Leaning his head against the headboard of his bed, he stretched his legs out, feeling slightly stiff, then shifted around a little so that Miku would be more comfortable.

He was seen as the big brother, amongst the three of them. At least, Rin saw him as the big brother, though in truth she was the elder twin. He didn't know what Miku viewed him as - who was he to her? Was he someone who interested her, the same way she interested him? Did she see him as someone to hide behind when she was scared, someone to confide in? A protector and a caretaker she could rely on?

Or did he remind her of her past, in some way? She did seem to be strangely attached to him, compared to the rest of his family. Did his presence make her feel calmer? He didn't know, and though he was curious about why she clung on to him this way, he also wondered whether he really wanted to know the truth.

He didn't know how Miku's mind worked, but one thing he had understood from the numerous, faceless child psychologists in the past, was that Miku thought differently from other children. She was just...odd, in ways they didn't understand. He could tell no one knew exactly what to make of this child, though they tried to mask their clueless-ness under long strings of scientific sounding medical jargon.

He wondered if he would be able to understand the twisted workings of Miku's mind. She was a puzzle that, even after four years of hard work, he was still unable to piece together. No one could get her to talk, no one other than Len - and even when she spoke to him, it was rarely more than two or three disjointed words.

She knew how to talk, and she most definitely knew how to converse - if the discussions he had overheard her having with her precious toys and balloons were any indication. So why did she prefer to talk to her toys, rather than to real, live, actual human beings?

He knew that his own parents wondered whether this girl was sane. She certainly didn't seem that way. Sometimes, Len himself walked into her room, and he wouldn't be able to see her anywhere. He would search her room, to finally find her huddled behind some large cushions, rocking back and forth, hiding.

Hiding from something faceless, something unknown. Whenever he found her hiding, the fear in her green eyes was practically tangible. She would begin to shake her head, tears rolling down her cheeks, before she recognised it was him, not...whatever it was she was hiding from. And then her face would take on its usual blank facade, eerily empty.

No explanation was ever provided as to why she was so tensed up, so frightened of things he couldn't see. ''What are you scared of?'' he had asked before. And it was always the same replies - ''I don't know,'' or ''You don't know.''

Her answers were all frustratingly vague, and if it were not for the fact that she was his adopted sister, who he was trying to help, he felt that he would have tried to throttle her a long time ago. Trying to talk to her was like trying to talk to a lifeless, inanimate statue - she wouldn't reply, and he was left feeling like a fool.

Her shoulders rose and fell evenly as she breathed, and he knew that she was asleep. Lightly, he stroked her teal hair, careful to not wake her up, then he closed his own eyes. He didn't want to move away and wake her up.

Once again, he wondered. He always wondered about her, and this time, he was thinking - what was she dreaming about, if she were dreaming? Was her sleep deep and empty, or was her slumber filled with dreams?

If she was dreaming...then what kind of dreams were this strange little girl having?

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_**Solitaryloner: **__This story was greatly inspired by Miku's song, Balloons Dance With Devils In A Rainy Town. The PV for that song is creepy, and I couldn't sleep well the night after I first watched it. This story is rated M not because of lemons, though. It contains disturbing adult themes such as murder and rape._

_So if you read this story expecting lemons, then sadly, I have to disappoint you. This story might make more sense if you listened to the song and watched the PV first. This is sort of my interpretation of the song, so it might be easier if you've seen the PV beforehand. The song itself has several references to rape, so I think it should be rated M as well._

_And when I say that it's creepy, it's creepy. Honestly speaking, this is the only Vocaloid song which ever freaked me out. The rest, like Dark Woods Circus, Rotten Girl Grotesque Romance and Full Course for Candy Addicts, etc...aren't scary at all. But this one is._


	2. Chapter 2

_**Solitaryloner: **I apologise for the slow update. I lost my inspiration. Actually, no. I'm lying. I was just too lazy to type._

_To Alice De Blois: Yeah, I did watch Oni Yuukai, if it happens to be the song which really sounds a lot like Rin Kagamine's Meltdown. I wonder what those three did to Kaito?_

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It was a new day, and hopefully a new start. Len woke up, stretching, his lips parted into a yawn. Something shifted against him, and he glanced down, blinking. His adopted sister nuzzled further into his side, her breathing calm and even, her eyelashes brushing her cheeks.

He sighed. Slowly, he laid his hand down, letting the silken teal strands run through his fingers as he gently stroked her hair. One thing he would never understand was why she was so...strange. She skittered away from contact whenever he tried to touch her - but then suddenly she would approach him, clinging desperately onto his arm, unwilling to let go.

His adopted sister was strange, and he wasn't anywhere near beginning to unravel her mystery. She kept to herself, and she never spoke to him. She seemed to dislike talking, preferring to stay silent and mute. Len couldn't help but wonder what had happened to her in the past, to turn her into someone like this.

It was a Sunday. No school today. He wondered what his family had planned for today - even now, at the age of sixteen, Sundays were strictly family days, and they always went out to do something as a family. Well...as a family, excluding Miku. She never wanted to tag along, preferring to remain at home alone, and they didn't want to force her to come along with them for fear of agitating the petite girl.

Miku liked him the best out of all of them, it seemed. He could get her to do things when she didn't want to, when the rest of them couldn't persuade her. Back in the past, he had been the one to persuade her to eat, when she hadn't wanted to. He had been the one who got her to speak, when no one else was able to.

She listened to him - whenever he saw her, he could see the trust in her large green eyes. Her eyes were usually blank, or maybe a little wary looking, but when she looked at him he thought that he could see little flickers of trust in her eyes. He didn't know what he had done to gain her trust that way, but he didn't question it.

Still, he wondered. Was it because he had been the one to insist upon adopting her, back in the orphanage, even when the rest of the family had been reluctant to? Had Miku actually been listening to them talking to the matron, while she had been huddled in the corner of the room? He flinched at the thought - if she had...how had she felt about hearing about her own past, being relayed to complete strangers?

He glanced down at the still sleeping girl. The blankets which covered her rose and fell gently, along with her breathing, and Len sighed again. He didn't understand why she refused to sleep in her own room. True, she used that room - all her toys, her clothes, her precious little balloons, they were all in her own room. Usually, she remained in there as well.

But the moment night came, she fled from her room, refusing to step anywhere inside it. Instead, she came to him, her expression always one of utmost terror, and he would allow her inside his room, onto his bed. He had went to her room at night before, to try and see what frightened her so - however, he had been unable to find anything out of the ordinary.

She had refused to step inside her own room, so she slept on the same bed with him, at night. Their family knew about it. Initially, there had been protests from his parents - why should she share his bed when she had a perfectly good one of her own? It was an inconvenience to him. Rin had just looked on, neutral.

He then told his parents that since he was the one who had insisted on adopting Miku, he would be responsible for her. He didn't reveal Miku's irrational fear of her own room at night - he just told them that if Miku wanted to sleep in his bed at night, then he would allow it. She was a petite girl, and she didn't take up too much space. He told his parents that maybe she was nervous of her new environment.

Which was true, after all. His parents had bought the argument, though obvious hesitation had lingered on in their eyes. What Len hadn't expected, though, was for Miku to still be scared of her own room, even after four years of having lived with them. Still, he didn't chase her away, and every night she came to his room.

He could recall the first night she had come to him. He had been getting ready for bed when he had heard a soft knock on the door. Curious, he had then opened the door to reveal his adopted sister, one hand raised to knock again, the other hand clutching a teddy bear to her. She had stared at him, her eyes wide. Slowly, she then pointed at herself, then at his bed.

He hadn't understood at first, and she had fidgeted, seeming restless. Finally, she had parted her lips to tell him, in her strangely melodious voice, that she wanted to sleep in his room tonight. At the sound of that, he had stiffened, shock rooting him to the floor.

Of course, at first he had disagreed. After all, Miku had her own bed, and anyway it was rather strange for him to share his bed with a girl. Even if the girl was his adopted sister. The only girl he had ever shared his bed with had been Rin, and that was because they were close twins. Miku had then pleaded with him, using her large, entrancing forest green eyes.

He hadn't been able to say no to the plea in those eyes, so he had reluctantly allowed her inside his room. She had instantly went over to his bed, sliding comfortably under his blankets. She had went to sleep in seconds. Len, though, had spent a much longer time trying to go to sleep, unused to having someone else in his bed, sharing the mattress with him. He was used to this now, though.

They had adopted her when she was twelve. When he, Rin and her had all been twelve. And ever since the first day she had come to their house, she had been sleeping in Len's room instead of her own. He was already used to it - anyway, his bed was more than big enough for two people. It wasn't any trouble to share his bed with her. Allowing this gave him a chance to try and talk to her more, as well...

But things were different now. When they had been twelve, it had been a relatively simple matter - Miku came to his room at night, knocked on the door, was allowed into his room and onto his bed. End of story. Things had been much less complicated in the past, when they had been children, aged twelve.

Now, she was sixteen. He was sixteen too. And he was finding sharing his bed with an...admittedly attractive sixteen year old girl a little awkward. No, not just a little - very awkward. Miku didn't appear to mind, or even notice, how strange it was for her to share a bed with a teenage boy - but he certainly noticed. And it made him feel rather uncomfortable.

Slowly, he slid his hand down her long fall of teal hair. It was silky smooth, and he bit his lip, twirling strands of her long hair around his fingers. It was difficult for him, to say the least, when it came to sharing a bed with his adopted sister. After all, she was very pretty. Even if she was strange and quiet. He couldn't help but notice the delicate, frail beauty she possessed - she looked ethereal, a wisp of a beauty.

Sometimes, he forgot that she was his little sister. His adopted sister, the girl that he had a responsibility to look after. Sometimes, in the dazed, drowsy moment that came right after waking up, he would stare at Miku and wonder what it would be like to touch her...to be able to treat her as more than a sister. He couldn't even say that they were friends - they didn't talk to each other enough to be considered that.

She clung on to him, but she didn't speak to him. That made her more than a stranger, but still less than a friend. She wasn't a mere acquaintance either. So what did that leave her as? His adopted sister. And he couldn't ever allow himself to forget that she was his adopted sister...the girl that he looked after.

He was both parent and elder brother to her - or at least, that was the role he assumed around her. So he shouldn't want her this way, not at all - it was wrong, she wasn't ready for it, she didn't want this kind of thing. She didn't even like him that way, and he, as an elder brother, should not be thinking of her that way. She was not related to him by blood, but that didn't make any difference.

How could he even consider ever being anything more than an elder brother to her? Quickly, he removed his hand from her hair, lightly shaking her shoulder to try and wake her up. He had turned away from her to hide the warmth in his cheeks - to hide it even from himself. There was a small groan, and then he felt her stir.

He looked back at her, and drowsily her eyes opened, the vivid green looking rather disconcerted. Once she registered that he was touching her, though, her eyes snapped open wide and she hastily sat up, quickly edging away from him, away from his touch. Len hesitated, then slowly he lowered his hand - it shouldn't hurt that she treated him like that. She always had treated him this way, so he ought to be used to it by now. Right?

''How are you today, Miku?'' he asked politely, wondering whether she would bother to answer this time. She stared at him, a curious mix of fear and trust in her eyes, then slowly she shook her head, shifting closer back to him once again. Her fingers wrapped around his arm, and trustingly she nuzzled against him, her teal hair brushing silkily against his skin.

His breath caught as her vanilla scent drifted towards him. Her eyes closed as she leant against him, and cautiously he brushed his fingers against the top of her head. She didn't flinch this time - she just tightened her grip around his arm, and he let his fingers drift down to cup her cheek. Her skin was soft.

He wondered at how strange she was. At one moment, she didn't want him to touch her. Now, she was clinging on like she never wanted to let go. What exactly did she want from him?


	3. Chapter 3

''I don't think I'm going out with you all today,'' Len said at the breakfast table, glancing down at his cereal bowl. There was a brief moment of stunned silence, before Rin broke into it.

''Why?'' Rin piped up, sounding curious. ''Are you trying to help Miku again?'' she answered her own question, her blue eyes lighting up with understanding. Len felt thankful about their twin bond - he didn't have to voice out whatever he wanted to say. Rin always knew what was on his mind, somehow. It was a connection that no one, not even his parents, could understand. His parents both sighed resignedly.

''Len...I won't try to change your mind, since you won't listen to us anyway,'' his mother, Lily, told him. ''But why? Not that I'm saying that it's a bad thing to spend time with Miku...but as you can see, she hasn't changed, not for the past four years. And no matter what any of us did, she still doesn't wish to open up. Is it really worth your time, to spend all this effort on someone who doesn't want to respond?''

''But I wanted her to be my sister,'' Len pointed out stubbornly, knowing what would come next. He had had this discussion with his parents before. Many times. ''So I should look out for her. It doesn't matter that she doesn't respond or anything. What matters is that we try. One day, she'll react. She can't just stay silent and refuse to talk forever...can she?'' he asked his family, a silent plea in his voice.

His father, Kiyoteru Kagamine, pushed his spectacles further up his nose. ''Well...I'd believe that, normally. But then, it's been four years, and she has yet to speak a single word to the rest of us. I don't know what to make of her, Len, I really don't. If you wish to stay behind with her today, then do so...we all want to see her condition improve. But I don't think that's really going to happen, any time soon.''

Len nodded, staring at the soggy cornflakes in his cereal bowl. His elder twin sister shot him a sympathetic glance, but he didn't react to it, instead starting to spoon cereal into his mouth. Later, as he always did, he would take some food up to his adopted sister, who would be in her room, talking to her dolls. As she always was. He had to wonder whether everything he was doing was hopeless...

Like his parents had said, it had already been four years. And she hadn't shown any progress. She talked to him, and only to him - she didn't respond to the rest of their family. He still had no idea why she clung on to him like that. What was so special about him, such that she was willing to talk only to him, and not to the rest of them? It was so strange. She was a difficult puzzle that refused to be pieced together.

Their parents left the table, having finished their breakfast, Lily talking quietly to her husband as they left. No doubt talking about Len and Miku. Len continued eating his cereal, his cerulean eyes trained on the cereal box. To anyone else, it would look like he was intently reading the fine print on the box, but Rin knew otherwise. He was her twin brother, and she always knew what was on his mind.

Len was her younger brother. She had been born four minutes before he had been. But he was more mature than she was, she had to admit that. As children, she always had been the one to charge ahead with doing new things, while Len had been the one to hover behind, thinking about what could possibly go wrong. Len also had always been the one to drag her out of trouble, whenever things went too far.

She had always made the decisions for both of them. Sometimes, it annoyed her. That her brother couldn't ever stand up for himself, that he always relied on her, though he was the one who behaved more like an adult between the both of them. That was why, when they had went to adopt a sibling, she had been a little glad that Len had insisted on adopting Miku. For once, he was actually making his own choice.

Now, though, she had to wonder whether he had made the right decision. Of all the children that they could have adopted in the orphanage, Len had insisted upon Miku Hatsune. The girl who, up till now, had yet to speak a single word about her past. The girl who had yet to say anything to her, or to their parents...to anyone other than Len, in fact. Rin wondered why Len wanted to spend so much time on her.

She wondered why Miku seemed to like her brother so much, too. She had seen the petite little tealette trailing after Len over the whole house before, following after him discreetly. It was unnerving, though at the same time Rin did find it a little sweet, the way Miku always ducked and hid whenever her brother turned around to see who was following him. It was rather adorable. Though strange, as well.

Miku really was a slight girl. She was barely the same height as Rin, who wasn't all that tall to begin with. Miku was a full head shorter than Len, and her slender frame was easily dwarfed by her slim, lean brother. Which was difficult, since Len wasn't exactly what you could call bulky. Miku looked like the kind of person who hadn't had enough to eat, as a child - she was too skinny, her body thin and lanky.

Miku still hadn't said anything to Rin. But she liked Len a lot, Rin was sure. After all, every night Miku went to sleep in Len's bed. Len had told her before that it was because Miku was scared of her own room, at night - though that didn't make any sense. There wasn't anything frightening at all in Miku's bedroom. She and Len had both checked Miku's room before, and they hadn't found anything strange there.

Rin wondered how long it would take for Miku to finally say something to her. She couldn't keep hiding from everyone, could she? Even if Len was the only person she trusted, the only person she was willing to talk to...she had to open up to the rest of them one day. Right? Rin didn't want to dwell on the other possibility - that Miku would remain silent and withdrawn, for the rest of her life. That particular option...

It was frightening. Rin didn't wish for her adopted sister to be unable to integrate herself into society. She and Len had discussed Miku before, and frankly Rin was rather nervous for Miku's future. The little tealette couldn't rely on them forever - she had to learn how to depend on herself, how to be independent. But given the way she was right now, she and Len would never be able to teach her how to be self-reliant. How to rely on herself.

Even if Miku didn't talk to Rin, Rin still treated and loved her like a sister. Originally, she hadn't liked Miku much. She had thought that Miku was rather rude, for refusing to talk to her - but then after a while, she had realised that it wasn't because Miku didn't like her. It was because Miku simply refused to communicate with anyone other than Len. And even when she did speak to Len, she rarely ever said anything other than a few disjointed words.

Like Len, she wanted to know about the mystery of Miku's past. But unlike Len, Rin was less willing to spend time with her strange, adopted sister. Miku didn't welcome her presence as much as she welcomed Len's, for reasons that she would never be able to comprehend. Still, Rin didn't mind. She was positive that one day, Miku would be willing to open up to them. Wouldn't she?

''You're thinking about Miku again, aren't you?'' she spoke up, studying her brother's reaction. Len stiffened at her words, his blue eyes straying away from the cereal box he had been training his eyes upon. His blond hair was tied up into his usual small ponytail, though a few wisps were hanging around his face. Absently, he reached up, tucking the loose strands of bright blond hair behind his ear. Slowly, he swallowed another spoonful of cereal.

''Maybe?'' he allowed, voice cautious. ''Why do you ask?'' he asked back, letting his spoon swirl around his bowl. All that was left behind in the bowl was milk, and almost boredly he dipped his spoon inside the milk, like he was looking for any remaining cereal which he had failed to scoop up earlier. Rin glanced at her brother, who stared back at her, his blue eyes carefully neutral. Len didn't like talking about Miku.

Especially not with Rin. He had been especially reluctant to discuss Miku with her, ever since she had found out that Len might just have the slightest, tiniest bit of a crush on Miku. Which was really strange, and a little paedophile-ish to her. Miku seemed so young and childish, what with her fondness for her toys and balloons - she couldn't imagine the tealette being involved with anyone romantically. And definitely not with their brother, Len.

After all, Len was like an elder brother figure to both her and Miku, even if Rin was older than Len. And thinking about Len liking Miku that way...well, Rin just wasn't very open to the idea. Miku seemed too young for any of this, even if she was the same age as all of them were. Sixteen. Miku might be physically sixteen, but mentally she didn't seem to be as old as Len. Or even as Rin. She just seemed so young.

''What are you going to do today, to try and coax her out of her shell?'' Rin asked, regarding her brother curiously. Len visibly swallowed, before turning away from her penetrating gaze, staring into his cereal bowl once again. Slowly, he started to scoop up the remaining milk in the bowl, drinking it - and Rin knew that he was feeling uneasy. Because Len didn't like milk, unless it happened to be banana flavoured.

''I don't know,'' he answered quietly, staring at the milk as though it would provide him with the answers to Life's mysteries. ''No matter what I do, she doesn't respond...all she does is sit there and continue talking to her dolls and balloons,'' her brother's voice sounded slightly bitter. ''It's like we all don't exist, in her eyes...nothing but her beloved toys exist, in her world. But if I give up on her, then that means that I would be admitting defeat. Right?''

''It's not your fault even if you can't get through to her,'' Rin tried to reassure him, though she knew that he would be too stubborn to listen to reason. Her brother was just like that. He always took the responsibility for everything, even if it wasn't his fault. She wished he would stand up for himself more. He always let people blame him for things he didn't do. It was because he didn't want conflicts, he claimed.

But still, Rin couldn't help wishing Len would be more defensive, whenever people accused him of doing things he hadn't done. Len glanced up at her, his cerulean eyes haunted. ''It won't be my fault,'' he agreed with what she had said, surprising her. ''But I'll still feel guilty anyway. If I can't get through to her...it makes me feel like I'm a failure, you know? I don't want to give up on her. She's our sister, after all.''

''You can't do anything if she doesn't want to be helped,'' Rin pointed out, though it hurt her to say that. All they wanted was the best for Miku...but it appeared that no matter what they did, nothing would happen. They wouldn't be able to break down Miku's walls. Both of them had been trying for years, and neither of them had managed to succeed in doing so. Perhaps it would be impossible to ever succeed.

''I can try,'' was all Len said, finally turning away from the bowl. ''You know how I feel about her, Rin,'' his next spoken words were low, and Rin sat up, eyes widening. ''I...I just want the best for her. Is that so wrong? All I can do right now is spend time with her, and try to get through to her, to understand how she's thinking. Even if it doesn't work, I'll continue doing that. Because it makes me feel that...at least I'm trying.''

Before Rin could say anything else, though, they heard the faint sound of light footsteps, coming down the stairs. Both she and Len looked up, watching the entrance of the kitchen to see who would come through. There was a brief pause, and then finally teal hair showed up at the kitchen entrance. Rin and Len exchanged a glance, startled by what had just appeared. Miku? Willingly coming out of her room?

The pretty little tealette peeked shyly into the kitchen, a red balloon tied around her left wrist. Her large green eyes searched the kitchen, finally settling on Len...before they slid over to Rin, who was sitting opposite Len. She smiled, a lovely smile, her full pink lips curving up into an innocent, childish grin. She didn't look sixteen at that moment - she looked like a child. A child who was their adopted little sister.

''Len? Rin?'' Her voice was hesitant, and both of them stiffened, unused to hearing her speak. Both of them exchanged another glance, glances that were filled with wonderment and curiosity. Wonderment that she had finally spoken, and curiosity about what she could possibly want from them. Rin was happy, too - happy that Miku had finally acknowledged her, and not only Len. This had never happened before.

''Yes, Miku?'' Len rose from the table, walking slowly over to her. Hesitantly, he reached out to pat her on the head, and she blinked up at him, not retreating from his hand. Len shot Rin a startled glance - there was something very different about Miku today. She usually flinched away from all physical contact. What had changed? Why was she suddenly so...different? And what did all of this mean?

Miku held out the balloon tied around her wrist, the balloons that Len detested so much. He couldn't take his eyes off the balloon as it bobbed in mid-air, seeming to mock him. As always. She beamed at him and Rin, a sweet smile filled with innocence. He was feeling strangely unsettled by all this, and he knew that Rin was starting to feel uncomfortable, too.

''Do you want to play?'' Miku asked, balloon still floating in the air, trapped around her wrist.


	4. Chapter 4

Len and Rin trailed hesitantly behind the slender tealette, as she led the way up the stairs. After asking them if they wanted to play with her, she had immediately walked off, without even waiting to see if they would follow after her.

Of course, they had followed. What other choice did they have? This was perhaps the only time Miku would ever open up to them, in that way. And if they didn't seize this opportunity to see what she wanted from them, then it was more than likely that they would never have this chance again. Len shot the teal haired girl's back a wary glance, wondering what she was going to do. What she wanted to play.

The red balloon continued bobbing in mid-air, around her wrist. Len glanced away from it, instead meeting his sister's confused cerulean gaze, just like his. ''What do you think she wants from us?'' Rin whispered, so that Miku would not be able to hear what she said. Len didn't think that it was necessary for her to whisper, though - Miku seemed to be trapped in her own world, uncaring of the rest. As usual.

But he whispered, just in case Miku really was listening to them. No one could ever tell what was running through her mind. Not even him, the one who was the closest to Miku, in the whole family. ''I don't know, either,'' he glanced at Miku's back once again. ''But it's a good thing...if she's willing to talk to us, of her own accord for once, right?'' he wondered.

''I suppose,'' Rin mumbled. ''But...I just feel unsettled by this,'' her eyes darted over to meet his. ''Don't you?'' she questioned. ''Just a little?'' Len swallowed as he listened to his sister's words - yes, he did understand what she meant, but he couldn't possibly show that he didn't feel very comfortable about this. He was the big brother figure here, and if he revealed that he was nervous...well, that wouldn't be good.

It was instinctive for all people to rebel against change, unconsciously or not. Human beings had an extraordinary ability to adapt and evolve, to suit their surroundings - but they were always extremely resistant to changes, of any sort. Len and Rin were no different from the rest - the fact that Miku had suddenly...changed, in her behaviour, made them feel uncomfortable. And they didn't like any of this very much.

Of course, this change was good. It had to be, right? But it didn't mean that the change didn't affect them. Miku had got to the top of the stairs, and she turned around, her large green eyes watching both Len and Rin come up the stairs. Her face was as blank as ever as she stood outside her room, waiting. Just...waiting. Len felt a shiver run down his spine - an ill omen, perhaps? He pushed the thought aside.

When the blond twins were finally standing outside Miku's door, the petite tealette turned the doorknob. Her room door swung open, and she turned around to stare at them - as though she was waiting for them to step inside, first. Swallowing, Len and Rin did just that, looking around the room as they did so. Miku let herself in after them, and as the door swung shut, there was an audible 'click' sound. Locked.

Another bad sign, maybe? Len shook his head, gritting his teeth - no, since when had he become so...superstitious? His eyes flicked up to view the room - it seemed perfectly normal, covered in its usual pretty, pale pink wallpaper. Unconsciously, his fingers clenched into fists as he saw all her balloons, bobbing in mid-air, as usual. How he detested them. Mocking him, he felt - though he knew that made no sense.

Rin, sensing his inner turmoil, lightly placed her fingers on his shoulder, trying to reassure her younger brother. Len relaxed a little at her touch, turning back to give her a strained smile. Then his gaze lifted, to meet a familiar forest green one, and he found that he couldn't look away. The intense fear which had filled her eyes all of a sudden, infected him too, making him feel as though he couldn't breathe.

Why? That fear was suffocating. Without saying anything, Miku unwound the red balloon from around her wrist, letting the helium filled balloon drift up towards the ceiling. Len watched the motion of the balloon, seeing it drift towards the ceiling fan. The blades of the fan were whirring around, and he knew what would happen - the balloon made contact, and it burst with a loud 'pop', making him flinch.

''Miku?'' he asked softly, watching her warily. Rin stood silently next to him, and both twins stared at the teal haired girl, who had backed into the door. Her green eyes were wide, still filled with fear. Outside the window, thunder rumbled - it was going to rain. And heavily, it seemed. Len frowned - the skies had been clear, this morning. This sudden storm...

''Don't you see them?'' Miku rasped out, her voice soft and uneven. ''They're coming to get us,'' she hissed, her hand reaching out for the doorknob. Her fingers rested lightly on it, but she didn't turn it. Her eyes flicked away from them, towards the window. ''There's a storm brewing,'' she said quietly, to herself. ''I don't like the rain,'' she continued muttering.

''See who?'' Rin asked, her voice as soft as Miku's own. ''Who's coming to get us, Miku?'' she continued to probe. Miku's gaze turned wild, as though she didn't know what to do. At that moment, she reminded Len of a trapped, feral animal - frightened. Wary, hostile, ready to lash out from her corner, at any moment. The slender tealette slid along the wall, towards her dresser, her eyes never leaving theirs.

''They're coming,'' she repeated, her voice getting a little louder. It was louder than Len was used to. ''In a rainy town, the balloons...they dance with the devils,'' Miku waved her hand around the room, gesturing around to the balloons she had, floating everywhere. ''The devils, they're coming to dance...and with their voices, they sing. Ranbara, ranbara, don't you hear them singing?'' she eyed them warily.

This was the first time any of them had heard her say so much, at one go. Len blinked. ''Why don't you just get rid of the balloons, then?'' he suggested, deciding to play along with her. ''If there are no balloons to dance with, then the devils won't come. Would they?'' he asked, watching her as Miku's gaze dipped, between him and the floor. She seemed to pause as she considered, undecided. Unsure of what to do.

''No!'' she finally exclaimed, retreating into a little corner of the room, as far away from them as possible. ''They...they want to stay here,'' her gaze turned dreamy. ''They're important. They want to stay here,'' she repeated, voice suddenly becoming distant. ''If they're gone, the devils will come anyway. And they'll be angry that the balloons are gone,'' she suddenly whimpered, sounding...frightened.

''What do we do?'' Rin whispered to Len, as she glanced away from Miku. Miku was muttering something to herself, but it was too soft for them to pick up on. ''Maybe we should remind her of the reason why she wanted us to come up with her, to begin with...?'' he voice trailed off, but Len realised that her suggestion might work. Hesitantly, he approached Miku, wary of further frightening the slight tealette.

''Miku? You asked us to come up here because you wanted us to play, right?'' At his words, Miku's head shot up, her eyes wide and staring. Her arms were wrapped tightly around herself, as though protecting herself from something. Something that he couldn't seem to see. Was she protecting herself from the devils she had been talking about, earlier? But...what devils?

''Play,'' Miku echoed. Her gaze drifted around the room, not seeming to actually see any of them. Watching her, Len felt like Miku couldn't actually see any of them. She couldn't see anything other than herself. Finally, she nodded, and she hesitantly came out of her little corner, approaching them slowly. Almost shyly. She stood a distance away from them, however - as wary of physical touch as she always was.

Again, something seemed to have changed about her. There was a...resolve in her eyes, a steely will that he hadn't seen earlier. Hadn't ever seen before, to tell the truth. It made her look almost...normal. She seemed to draw a deep breath, straightening herself, before she met his stare, head-on. ''Today is the day of my mother's death anniversary,'' she stated baldly, seemingly without any feelings whatsoever.

Len's eyes widened, and he didn't need to look around to know that Rin had done the same. They hadn't known that little bit of information, and they couldn't possibly imagine how the tealette was feeling, at that moment. Len and Rin exchanged a hesitant look - what should they do, then? Should they apologise for her loss? Offer their condolences? Would Miku even care about that, seeing her unemotional gaze?

''Today is also the day of my birthday,'' she said again, before Len or Rin could do, or say anything. Len drew back, blinking in shock. He hadn't known that either - he hadn't known that today was her birthday, let alone that her real mother had died on the very same day. ''You don't need to say anything to me,'' Miku added, as though she could sense what had been running through his mind. Len swallowed.

Miku sounded so...different. He had never heard her speaking this normally, before. But at the same time, he had...ah. He remembered. This was the way she spoke to her beloved toys and balloons - he knew she was capable of holding an intelligent conversation. It was just that...she had never done that with anyone else before. Not with anyone within their family...not even with Len himself. This was new.

''How did your mother die?'' Rin's curious voice rang through the room. At the rather insensitive question, Len flinched, turning around to stare at Rin reproachfully. Rin's eyes widened, and instantly her hands shot up, to cover her mouth. Len could tell that she had been thinking about that question...just that she hadn't intended for it to let slip, out loud. Miku shook her head, her green eyes as distant looking as ever.

''It's all right,'' she murmured. ''I never knew my mother - she died in childbirth. Giving birth to me,'' her soft voice trailed off, and Len and Rin exchanged yet another glance. ''I know what you're thinking,'' Miku added, this time in a louder voice. ''Why am I acting as though I'm normal, and not behaving like the borderline schizophrenic that I usually am?'' she smiled, ignoring the guilty look on Len's face.

''It's just that, normally, you're...'' Len waved a helpless hand. ''Like just now,'' he finished lamely. ''It's been four years, and no one had ever been able to get through to you...so why are you suddenly so, I don't know. Normal?'' he winced at the words - somehow, they sounded accusatory. Which hadn't been something he had been aiming for. Miku just smiled graciously at them, seeming perfectly fine.

''One of the problems that psychologists diagnosed me with was multiple personality disorder. Brought about by trauma,'' her green eyes darkened. ''I can't control it. This is my recessive personality, and I can only appear on rare occasions. If I try really hard. Usually, I'm locked away behind the dominant me - the personality you usually see. The strange, quiet girl who refuses to talk to anyone.''

''How about when you're talking to your toys?'' Len questioned. ''You sound like...yourself, now. Whenever you were talking to your toys.'' Miku shot him a questioning look, and Len felt himself flush. ''I overheard you in your room before, talking to your toys,'' he admitted. ''And I always wondered why you could communicate with inanimate objects, but not with people.''

Miku nodded. ''That's her, not me,'' she looked down at the floor. ''She's not stupid, you know,'' Miku added. ''The other me. She can talk - it's just that she doesn't want to. But she's not insane,'' Miku slowly shook her head. ''That used to be me, in the past. I once saw things that no one else could see...now, she sees things that aren't there,'' she murmured, her cryptic words confusing Len a great deal.

Rin moved closer to Miku, like she was some kind of exotic animal Rin was interested in studying. ''If it's really hard for...this side of you to appear,'' his blond twin started hesitantly, ''then do you have some kind of message to say? I mean, why would you struggle so hard to break free, and speak to us now?'' Rin asked, sounding a little helpless. The same way that Len himself felt, about this whole situation.

Miku nodded. ''Today's my birthday, and the day of mother's death anniversary,'' she stated baldly. ''Four years is enough. I can't keep hiding away from the truth, but I can't remember very much of my past. Being sealed away, deep inside my body...it messes with my memories,'' she laughed bitterly. ''Especially when the other side of me is as...strange as she is. I need to discover a few things about myself.''

''What do you want to know?'' Hope flickered in Len - perhaps, by doing what this Miku asked for, they would be able to make her the dominant personality. So...Miku hadn't been insane, as he had long thought. She had just had multiple personality disorder. Though, he wondered whether it was multiple, or split. There was a difference between the two personality disorders, he knew that.

Multiple personality disorder was when the different personalities were aware of each other's presence. But split personality...was different. They weren't aware of each other. Miku's case seemed to be a little mix of both. This personality was aware of the other one - but did her dominant persona even realise that a recessive one lay beneath the surface? Somehow, he doubted that she knew of it.

''I have one bit of information about my past, and I want to work back from there,'' Miku's gaze met his. ''I forgot everything else...and I want to know why. My reasons for everything. We can talk to my uncle...my mother's brother. He's still alive, and I know he lived near my old home. The place where my father's murder had taken place,'' she added, noticing the look of confusion on Len's face. He blinked.

''Reasons for what?'' he asked, curious. ''What is the thing about your past that you remember? And what are the reasons you're looking for?'' The look that Miku shot him then was dead. Flat and blank, like all emotion had drained away from her slender body. It was eerie, that look - it reminded him too much of her other self.

''I need to recall my past...because I want to know the reason why I murdered my father.''


	5. Chapter 5

_I murdered my father._

The words rang through his head, making his eyes widen, causing him to stumble back, away from the slender tealette. She continued to stare at him, remaining quiet and grave.

_She seems serious. _He could scarcely bring himself to believe what she was saying. How could this possibly be true? The girl had killed her own father? But...as an eight year old girl, how had she managed to do such a thing? Murder in itself was not an activity easy to carry out, and given that the man was her father...

''Are you scared of me?'' Miku asked, her voice still soft and placid. Her hands were laced behind her back, and she looked, for all intents and purposes, just like a harmless little girl. She looked like she could never have done anything to hurt anyone..._but she killed her father?_

''I...'' Len glanced at his twin sister. Rin looked horrified by this new revelation, much like Len himself. He had to wonder whether he was just dreaming about all this. Dreaming about Miku's mysterious return to normalcy, and about the secret which had spilt from her lips. No wonder the police were still unable to figure out who was the killer of her father. Because they were looking in all the wrong places, weren't they?

''I'm not scared of you,'' he finally said weakly, though he knew that his tone was far from convincing. Miku closed her eyes and smiled, slowly turning away from the both of them, drifting over to the window. Lightning flashed outside - it was starting to rain, a small drizzle that rapidly grew into a deluge. Len didn't like any of this. He didn't like what was going on.

''You certainly sound scared,'' the sound of her voice was barely audible, over the low rumble of thunder outside. ''But don't worry. I know how you feel. Because...I'm scared of myself, as well. I don't understand what's happening to me, why I did any of this. What were all of my reasons to be. That's why I need to know, Len. Rin. Before the demons come to get me.''

''What demons...?'' that was Rin. His sister slid a little closer to him, her hand searching for his. Her fingers found his, and their hands wrapped around each other - he didn't need to look at Rin to know how perturbed she was feeling.

''Ranbara. Ranbara. Balloons dance with devils in a rainy town...'' Miku suddenly whipped back around to face them, her green eyes staring. And Len got the sense that something about her had...changed. Maybe it was the way her eyes widened, giving her a slightly demented look. ''They're here to sing,'' her voice softened. ''Do you want to play?'' she smiled angelically.

''You're not Miku anymore...'' Len shook his head, knowing that there was no point in trying to talk to this half of her personality. The girl before him frowned, tilting her head childishly. She approached them - almost against his will, Len and Rin took a step back, away from her. No. She really was different now, even from her usual self. There was a deranged light in her green eyes. A light that wasn't there before.

''I am Miku,'' she insisted, her soft voice turning higher-pitched. It sounded broken, like the voice of a useless wind-up doll. Like she was getting agitated. ''Don't you want to play with me?'' another rumble of thunder boomed, drowning out the rest of her words, if she had said anything else. She looked...he swallowed.

''I'm sorry, Miku, but Rin and I are busy. We'll play with you another day,'' he tried, backing slowly towards the door. Rin stuck close to him, and he could see traces of fear in her cerulean eyes. He wasn't the only one who could sense the difference in Miku. There was something off about her, now. Was it because her recessive side had actually broken through, just now?

His hand found the doorknob. He turned. It was stuck. He tried again, jerking at the knob in his desperation - it refused to budge. A single drop of perspiration rolled down his forehead. It was cold. The door was locked - he couldn't make the door open. Rin glanced back at him, the nervousness on her face making itself known.

''Door's locked,'' Miku sang, skipping back over to the window. ''So you can both stay here with me! The devils...they won't be lonely, see, with more people around,'' she giggled. ''Maybe they'll be happier then. Maybe they'll actually leave us all alone,'' the happiness in her voice abruptly disappeared, and she spun around, her green eyes wide. ''Can't you hear them sing?''

Len didn't know whether or not he should take out his frustrations upon this girl. He couldn't deny that he was getting frustrated. _But it's not her fault, really...does she even understand what she's saying? Does she know what's going on? The other Miku said that this one isn't insane, no matter how strangely she acts._

''The key...where did she put the key?'' Rin asked, her voice quiet to avoid attracting the attention of the strange tealette. Len shrugged, just a little, making the slightest movement so that this Miku wouldn't notice that they were speaking to each other. Indeed. Where had she put the key? Len and Rin had to get out of the room...so they could think. And discuss what they had just learnt, from the...other Miku.

This was just so confusing. He hated it. He hated how everything seemed to get stranger and stranger, with each little bit of progress they managed to make with their adopted sister. Not that they had ever managed to make too much progress with her...especially Rin. This was the first time Rin had ever spoken to Miku, and of course the situation had to turn out this way.

He felt so hopeless at the moment. He hadn't expected to meet Miku's alternate persona - he hadn't even known that another personality resided within her broken body - and he hadn't expected for this girl...for this doll-like girl, more broken child than teenager, to have killed her own father. Was it that act of murder which turned her into this? Had it destroyed her mind, made her see things that weren't there?

Demons. She spoke of devils and demons - he knew there were no such things as those, so perhaps they were symbolic. But what would talk of devils indicate? _I once saw things that no one else could see. Now, she sees things that aren't there. _What was the difference?

Dammit, he hadn't asked for any of this. All he wanted was to make his adopted sister better. To help heal her, and rid herself of all the mental scars and trauma in her past. Now that he knew what he did, he couldn't possibly try to avoid dealing with this. Miku appeared to be insane, but the other her wasn't, and he trusted that the _other _Miku wasn't lying. Why would she lie, after all? She had no reason to do so.

''You know, if you two just wanted the key...'' the light, high-pitched giggle of a child drifted across the room, reaching his ears. He cringed. He couldn't help himself. ''You should have just asked for it!'' the childish voice continued, as the slender girl crossed back to them. She smiled, such a beautifully angelic smile - but he didn't miss the madness hiding deep in her gaze.

She was standing before him. He towered over her, and she seemed so tiny and delicate, but strangely he felt rather...intimidated by her. Maybe it was the fact she was plainly insane. A third personality, perhaps? How many Mikus existed in that petite body? Surely too many different people would spill out, overflowing...

The tealette reached out, reaching for his hand. Instinctively, Len drew his hand back, but she calmly reached further, holding on to his hand. Patiently, she pried his fingers open, before she dropped a familiar key onto his palm. It was the room key. Blinking, he exchanged another look with Rin - his sister stared back, confused.

They were free to go? Just like that? There was yet another faint, high-pitched giggle - Miku was covering her mouth daintily with her hand. ''Go on,'' she beamed. ''Before I change my mind. The devils...they told me they wanted to have company, you know...and I don't have any of my balloons around, they're going to be upset,'' her voice lowered to a conspiratorial whisper.

''Len...'' Rin's voice brought him back to reality. He glanced down at the key in his hand, before he looked back at Miku. The girl was retreating from him, the slightly-insane expression gone from her face - instead, now she looked like how he was used to. Scared, timid, just like a little mouse. Fear sparked in her green eyes, as she looked around her room. Thunder boomed outside again, and he watched her shiver.

He turned away from her, passing the key to Rin. His sister unlocked the door, and it swung open, finally letting them out of the room. Len left after his sister - carefully, he glanced back inside again, his gaze seeking the tealette out. Miku was sitting behind one of her giant round chairs again. As always, hiding from something he could not see. The devils, she claimed.

_You don't know..._he shook his head, gritting his teeth. This was frustrating. He let the door close gently behind him, an action at odds with his own frustrated feelings. He didn't understand what had just taken place in the room, and he had no idea why Miku was this way now.

What was the trigger? What made her switch from one personality to the next, and why had those two other personalities - a normal one, and a plainly insane one - only shown up now? And not back when she was younger...the matron at the orphanage never said anything about Miku having more than one personality. She didn't say anything about Miku being diagnosed with split personality disorder.

Was it written in her medical records? Did his parents know, and keep it from him and Rin? If so, why? Or maybe they thought she had gotten rid of the other personalities, given that she hadn't switched her persona, not once in the four years they had adopted her. Not until today, at the very least. Whys and what-ifs...

''Should we tell Mum and Dad about the...'' Rin's voice trailed off. Len knew what she was trying to say. _About Miku's personality disorder? _The odds were, their parents already knew about it, anyway. Surely the matron wouldn't have kept it from them. She couldn't possibly have - their parents had Miku's medical records, passed to them by the matron herself, and there was no way medical information from records could be removed, was there? Actually, he didn't know.

Maybe the matron _had _lied. Perhaps the woman did forge Miku's medical documents. After all, the tealette had been stuck in that place for four years, with no family ever wanting to adopt her. Now that someone had finally shown interest in the tealette, maybe the matron had done what ever she could to get rid of the orphan? Len could only guess and assume. He didn't want to ask his parents about Miku's mental condition.

''I don't know,'' he answered, sounding unsure. ''But I don't think that her personality disorder is the most important thing, for now,'' he added. ''She killed her own father, Rin. You were there too, you heard what she said...'' he paused, allowing himself some time to think. ''Should we tell our parents that, or should we help Miku to find out why by herself, first?'' he asked.

Because, if they told their parents about it, he didn't know what would happen to Miku. Their parents would call the police, most likely. And then...what would happen to Miku herself? Since she was only a child when she murdered her father, would she be put in jail? Would she be deemed as mentally unstable? Would she be placed in an asylum? Len couldn't be certain.

''No...it's better not to risk her being locked away, I think,'' Rin appeared to understand the way Len was thinking. Len glanced at the closed door, the door which led to Miku's room. ''We want to know the answer, too. I mean, Mum and Dad are concerned about Miku, but in the end, she's adopted. They're going to panic if they realise she murdered her father. There's the risk that...she might do the same to us.''

He hadn't thought of that. His gaze narrowed at the door. Would the tealette do such a thing? He couldn't imagine her ever doing so - but then, it wasn't possible for him to imagine her killing her own flesh-and-blood kin. No matter what reasons she might have had, for doing such a thing. She seemed so...fragile. Incapable of harming even a fly. And she was a child, when she had done this. It was all just so...

Unbelievable. So improbable. Yet, _she _had said it - she claimed that it was all true. Len sighed. ''I don't think she'll do such a thing to us,'' he said honestly. ''If she wanted to kill all of us, then why didn't she do it before?'' he looked down at the floor. ''Are we...are we going to help her? To find out why she did such a thing? She did mention something about an uncle...''

Rin sighed as well. ''I don't suppose we have a choice, Len,'' Rin said quietly. ''We're stuck in this, no matter what we wish. And I want to know the truth as much as you do, even if she only started speaking to me this morning. I'm her sister as much as you're her brother, and I think I deserve the right to _know, _as well.''

Suddenly, the door burst open. There stood the subject of their discussion, her eyes wild with fear. Her gaze settled on him, and then she ran to him, burying her face against his chest. Len blinked, a little startled - after all, just moments ago she had been behaving so strangely - but he let his arms wrap around her, holding her. She whimpered, shivering. He wondered why.

Rin peeked into her room, curious. Then she came out of the room again. ''Nothing there...'' she said softly. But Len knew there was nothing there. There was never anything there. He looked sadly down at his adopted sister, who still clung on to his shirt, like he was her safeguard against all her bad dreams. And, in an odd way, perhaps he was. A safeguard. He was a shield blocking devils he couldn't see.

He wondered if Miku would ever get better. If he and Rin helped her remember...would she?

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_**Solitaryloner: **__I don't think this is a very good chapter, in comparison to the others before it. It doesn't have enough of the twisted, warped feel that I'm trying to bring across in the story. Miku is a really interesting character to write about, but I'm not showcasing it very well..._

_Anyway. It feels a little rushed, I know. A lot of people have been asking me to update this, so here you go. I need to start working on my older stories...oh, maybe I could work on my other twisted story. I have a psychological kind of crime story, but I admit that I haven't been focusing on it much due to a lack of readers..._

_Incidentally, for people who read the author's note for the last chapter of Monochrome World, I did really well for my exams! So I'd really like to thank you guys for all your words of encouragement and stuff, they made me feel a lot better, thanks for that! As a treat, I'll...try to update faster. But no promises._


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